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I remember how exciting it was to go on a field trip as a kid at school: the getting out of the classroom, the bus ride to a new place and the endless chatter between seats, the excitement in the air that something magi...

James Walter Schoonover, 50, of Pablo, has been committed to the state Department of Corrections for a total of 10 years with five years suspended as part of a plea agreement that resolves four separate cases and five felony charges.
In the first case, Schoonover was facing one count of assault ...

POLSON – Simply406 donated $5,200 to the Polson School District and Two Eagle River School for the purchase of washers and dryers for their buildings. TERS received $1,200 and Polson was given $4,000.
According...

Bachert sentenced in assisted living facility neglect incident

Will Benjamin Bachert, 27, of Polson, was sentenced at District Court in Polson on Feb. 28 to three years with the Montana Department of Corrections with all of that time suspended.

He pled guilty to criminal endangerment in January. The charge stems from neglecting a patient with special needs in his care at an assisted living facility. The sentence handed down by Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher was in accordance with the wishes of the victim’s family.

On June 4, 2018, Bachert was working as the lead staff member of a two-person overnight crew, according to records. He was aware that one of the patients in his care needed constant supervision to prevent the patient from accidentally harming himself. Video surveillance shows Bachert leave the patient unattended. The video also shows the patient falling multiple times and receiving injuries while unattended.

When day staff arrived the next morning, they immediately checked on their patients and documented injuries to the victim. Staff at the facility called an ambulance and transported the injured patient to St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, and he was later transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Photos show extensive bruising across the victim’s back, a cut lip, a cut to his head and a black eye. The victim’s brother, speaking on behalf of the family at the sentencing hearing, described how his brother was found “lying in a blood-soaked pillow.”

Bachert was “dismissed” from his duties at the facility after the incident. Judge Christopher ordered Bachert to pay restitution of $2,192.61.